I have stuck around with this series to this third book, but at this point I am where I have given up. the premise was great but I am confused by the multitude of characters, over abundance of extra and un-necessary information. I finish books from this series and could not describe the majority of what happens. Just over all too confusing of a series.

3.5 stars. Minor spoilers.

Just like the first two books, I was somewhat confused about certain plot points (too many POV’s and too much jumping back and forth between past and present), but I understood enough to still really enjoy reading this. Kihrin continues to be my favorite character. The author further develops the fantasy world, mythology/ history, plot, and love triangle hinted at in the last book. Looking forward to reading the next installment.

Leaving reviews on goodreads and amazon.

I loved this continuation of the Chorus of Dragons series! My only sadness was not seeing Qown this time. I enjoyed learning more of the distant past, when the dragons were created, and of learning more of Relos Var's past. Can't wait for the next in the series!!

This series is just sooooo good. It has everything I want in a typical epic fantasy (lots of world building, young heroes trying to save the day, sword fights and magic) but does everything in such a fresh way and keeps taking the storylines in new directions. The author has a truly fantastic imagination, and each book has been a wild new journey.

It is a question universally pondered (at least I think it is). What’s more satisfying? A series that starts off strong and stays strong throughout or a series that only gets better and better and more sure of itself as it goes on?

I tell you, it’s hard to know. But The Memory of Souls really makes the case for the latter.

I did not start off the Chorus of Dragons series knowing I was getting into an adult sff series. I blame Amazon’s iffy algorithm that would recommend the book juxtaposed with YA titles. On my own I quickly (and jarringly) disavowed myself of that misunderstanding. Its synopsis is also deceptively conventional. It isn’t wrong per se, but by lies of omission you are getting a very, very different story than you’d think. This is not a series about picking up a sword and slaying a dragon. You know, except when it is.

Blessedly Ruin of Kings was a fun, beautifully brutal romp. It has lush and vivid worldbuilding, and it leans so far from the traditional Eurocentric trappings that it doesn’t necessarily feel piggybacked off of anything else. It feels built and lived in, grimy and flawed. It also uses that as a means of creating its own gender politics and commenting on others, as well as colonialism, slavery, sex work, gender identity, misogyny and toxic masculinity/femininity. It also carries all of this off effortlessly because it is a fantasy world so why not?

Now, I won’t lie. Kings took some acclimating to. It has an interesting narrative structure like a set of Russian nesting dolls— stories within stories and multiple povs. It has a body swap component on top of a reincarnation component. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of who is who in this life versus a past one. It also doesn’t help that some characters actually are unaware of their own true identity. It also does not “sound” like typical fantasy; its dialogue is pretty much our own vernacular. It’s a mechanic that could be disorienting or might even take a person out of the story. But in the case of The Ruin of Kings, because it knows itself so very well and it leans into these things with no half measures, it achieves them all and also achieves its own unapologetic identity.

It is, without a doubt, the most unique thing sitting on my shelves.

This. This is my favorite in the series. So far.

The Memory of Souls is a beast of a book. Because I had the ebook galley, it didn’t necessarily *feel* massive, but I was not fooled. It’s a dense, intricate, immersive plot, as is the entire series really. To prep, I did reread books 1 and 2, and was grateful for the appendix at the end of both for their supplementary material. A LOT happens and the world is very detailed, so it’s nice to have reminders of specific things. It’s a bit Tolkien-esque in this regard. That said, even as it took up a very good chunk of my time, I cut through it easily. Because this was a point in the plot I’d been dying to get to, getting to watch all these plot threads play out was so worth it and so much fun.

The simple summary for act three Is this: Khirin and co are looking to keep Val Koroth locked away, and to do that they need to convince the vane to perform a ritual wherein they offer up their race’s immortality as a bargaining chip to do so. Simple.

You know, like everything else in the series up to this point has been *simple*. Simple, save for all the other stuff.

Since books 1 and 2 happen somewhat concurrently, Memory Souls actually picks up dangling threads from back at the end of the first book, but with the added context of Janel’s portion of the story. At last we have our four main characters (hell warriors question mark) together to hopefully stop Val Koroth. At last we find out what’s happening with Theron and Miya, who is of course not Miya. We get to see how Tyentso is enjoying being the Emperor (empress?). We get to see what Sanera and Relos Var are up to (you know, except when we don’t) and we get a better understanding of the role of the gods (who are probably not, in fact, gods at all). We get Vane politics and court intrigue, along with backstabbing, plotting, betrayal and long cons. We get a ritual that may or not solve the Val Koroth problem (at this point I trust no ceremony to do what it says explicitly it will do. Nah uh). There is also the lingering/complicated relationship between Khirin, Tareath, and Janel (So. Much. Good. Tension). And then the ending. That ending. The ending that has me openly anticipating book 4 next year.

And of course amidst all of this there is still family drama and slow burn relationships and the lingering possibility of redemption.

Like I said *chef’s kiss*.

It is a big, messy, soupy book of politics and romance, good old fashioned heroics, family drama, a possible villain origin story (or a doomed, tragic hero story I guess), star-crossed love, revenge and confrontations of destiny on a grand scale.

Oh, and of course dragons. Always, always dragons.

The Memory of Souls is the third book in this epic fantasy by Jenn Lyons. It was definitely worth the wait for this book. An amazing adventure story and without a doubt my favorite so far.
As with the first two books in the series, the story is told as a narration of events. Kihrin and Thurvishar are attempting to record the current events as they occur. The account picks up right where the previous book leaves off. Our heroes now know that the god Vol Karath is awake, though he is still imprisoned. They also know that at least one of the chains that binds him has been severed.
Even from his prison Vol Karath is able to cause massive destruction and chaos. The eight immortals have tasked Kihrin, Teraeth, Janel and Thurvishar with persuading the Monal Vane’ to give up there immortality. There is a ritual, once performed, will make them mortal and in the process strength the chains that hold Vol Karath. This ritual is the one that made the other immortal races mortal.
The Vane’ are strongly against this but if Vol Karath does escape, the entire world will be destroyed. Yet, everything has a cost and boy is that the case in this book.
I would love to say more about the plot but then I would be giving away some of the best parts. I want readers to be as surprised as I was with some of the events. For example, I learned a lot more about Kihrin, Janel and Teraeth’s past lives and it was very revealing and ties some stuff together for me.
This is probably one of the most complex series I have ever read. Not only is the world building complex but the characters are also. For the most part I loved it, but there were a few times when I had a hard time keeping up with who was who. Especially with all the reincarnations and body changes going on. I had to go back a couple of times and reread parts to cement everything in my mind. I wished I had taken notes as I went along then it would have been easier.
The characters are richly developed in this series and before I even picked up this book I thought that the author could not do much more to enhance them. She proved me wrong. There were new tidbits and interesting secrets that were revealed throughout the book. I loved how she parses them out and keeps the reader engaged. This is what makes this series so captivating. I can honestly say there is never a dull moment.
I recommend this book, and the whole series, to lovers of epic fantasy. For those readers that love an intricate and complicated plot with memorable characters, I think you will especially appreciate these books.
I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I've found this entire series to be very confusing, but I like Kihrin a lot, which is the main reason I've kept reading this series. This is a good continuation of the story, although it is very wordy at times and the footnotes (in my opinion) make it difficult to stay focused on the storyline.

this was a great read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this book. I was glad that it was just as good as the other books in the series.

The Memory of Souls is book three in the A Chorus of Dragons series by Jenn Lyons. This series is so intricate and detailed it makes Game of Thrones look like child's play. I spent the first two books somewhat struggling to keep everything straight, as there is SO MUCH world-building. But Jenn Lyons really hit her stride with The Memory of Souls and it was enjoyable in so many more ways than the preceding books. I enjoyed the first two don't get me wrong - but it was complicated and complex and a lot for my brain to handle. Now that I have a much more clear understanding of the world, I got to fully enjoy the characters and the intricacy of the plotting and intrigue that goes on.

This series is serious epic fantasy, very much for adults. Whereas there isn't a lot of steam, there are references to sex and the world is very LGBTQ diverse which is amazing. Normally in epic fantasy it's written in the perspective of the Middle Ages, where it's not accepted and women are still considered property. In this universe, any sort of sexual experience is possible, accepted, and flaunted. There are also several races that are transgender by nature, and a country where it is very normal to use different pronouns. I think it's a very cool touch.

The plot in this book really gets going. In such an intricate world, the first two books really were setting up this book. I normally feel like middle books get slow, but the opposite happened here. Everything was much faster paced and there were too many twists and turns to keep track of. I almost want to take a peek inside Jenn Lyon's mind to try and figure out how she keeps all of it straight! Also, the ending is absolutely killer. I leave you to figure out in which way I mean that.

Seriously, if you love Game of Thrones or the Belgariad books, you should definitely pick up this series. I'm very much looking forward to the fourth book next year!

**Thank you to Tor Book and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I LOVE THIS SERIES! How does this series keep getting more and more complex and fascinating and absolutely amazing!!

NetGalley ARC

Before starting this series, I took a pretty long break from reading epic fantasy series. I found existing series like Wheel of Time inaccessible and uncompleted series with no end in sight (you know who you are) frustrating.

This is a great series to reintroduce myself into the genre. I enjoy the concept of the book as a manuscript with footnotes. So far Thurvishar has not had chapters from his perspective so the footnotes give us great insight into his personality and inner self. I hope Lyons plays around a bit more with this concept in future books.

The first two books take place concurrently, The Memory of Souls really moves the action forward. A lot of holes from the past book are filled in. We learn more about the actual problem the Eight Immortals and Relos Var are trying to solve. We spend a significant amount of time with the Vane and learn about their culture and power structure. We spend time with characters we haven't seen since the first book and meet new people along the way. Most importantly we realize there's no real bad guy, the damage that needs to be fixed is bigger than good vs. evil.

Lyons has created a VERY complicated world and information is doled out slowly. You really get the sense that the author has planned out the entire series. There's body switching! And every is 15,000 years old! After 3 books I finally feel I have a handle on what's going on, but I'm sure there are lots of twists still to come. The strength of these books is really the main characters. I feel very attached to Kihrin, Janel, Thurvishar, Teraeth, Senera, Talea and others. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book!

Just like her first two novels, if you are not a fan of footnotes or twisted plots this may not be for you. However, just as I enjoyed the first two books this did not disappoint me at all! As usual, Jenn's writing is so descriptive and easy to flow into. I got absorbed into the story from the first page to the end. I found no part lagging or paced oddly. I can't say that I ever get lost reading her books -- they always flesh out seamlessly by the end.

Book three is still told from 3 perspectives: footnotes, Kihrin's first person POV and the third person POV of all the other characters. I was blown away by how many characters got to share their side of the story. It is engaging, comedic and gripping. No perspective was the same, each was very distinct.

This book is where the first battle really happens between Kihrin, Relos and the gods. This book is where relationships are tested. This book is where romances touch your heart. This book is where you get to the beginning of why Vol Korath was created.

Kihrin is forever my favorite character of the series. He has grown a bit and doesn't make as many rash and idiotic decisions in the firs two books. Janel is still a powerhouse who comes to terms with her ability to cross into the afterlife. Teraeth finally gets a handle on his emotions and gets the answer he's been waiting on. The gods completely PISSED me off in the end -- like why?! Relos Var definitely is the villain of the story. Thurvishar is much more prevalent. I can go on and on about characters (Therin, Khaeriel, Kelanis, Grizst, Senera, Talea, Suless, Xaltorath, and etc) -- but there are too many to discuss. Just know that I love every single character in some way.

The world-building was amazing. I enjoyed exploring the vane and their heritage. It was so interesting to read about and that reveal toward the end about them as a race -- MINDBLOWING.

The relationships in this book was EVERYTHING! Families are brought together and other torn apart. I was baffled by some of the truths revealed. As for romantic relationships, I love that Jenn doesn't hold back from it -- the romances are steamy and shocking. LGBTQ+ rep all through the book. My favorite couple will always be Kihrin and Teraeth, but I wouldn't mind Kihrin with Janel or if all three got together.

The dragons are still freaking awesome for me! I love seeing them fight one another and the humans. That last chapter, chapter 114...I wasn't prepared whatsoever for it. Especially when Talon cried --- I couldn't handle it. Kihrin is brilliant. That last line...I need book four now!

If you can't tell by this review I freaking loved it! It's still hard to articulate my feelings, but know that this book is tabbed up!!

The Memory of Souls is everything I wanted in a third book that I didnt know I needed.

A further exploration of characters I thought I knew, a healthy dose of humor and love, but also loss and acceptance and history so rich I want to believe it real..
And also a gut punch whenever I thought I knew what was coming next.

The continued amazement I feel when reading this series makes it one I have recommended to everyone I know who loves adult deep dive fantasy.

And the deep unrest I feel at knowing I have to wait the better part of a year for the next book literally hurts me.

I do not think I can fault this book, on any aspects.
The plot is well though out, the characters forever changing and the twists and turns we are privy to seem never ending. There is still so much to see in this wildly sprawling fantasy world and I honestly cannot wait for it.

I

Hi. I am writing this review from beyond the grave because, dear friends, I am now an ex-reviewer. I am deceased. Jenn Lyons does it again with her snappy prose and incredible world building and intricate plotting--I am in full awe.

Our storytellers this time are Kihrin and Thurvishar, the former telling his story, and Thurvy (best nickname ever) telling us other characters' stories that I won't tell you about because you should read this. Let's just say we learn quite a lot about the history of the people Kihrin and Janel used to be. It's quite complicated, really, and fun to read.

Speaking of fun. There are three only one bed scenes. Wink wink nudge nudge.

Five stars and a full review will be hitting Goodreads and my Instagram very soon! Thank you, Tor, for giving me an opportunity to read and feature this book in my photos.

OMGOMGOMGOMG THAT ENDING!!!!

Memory of Souls is another hard book to summarize. So much happens, and the way the story is told plays with timelines and sequential events. There are so many heartbreaking moments, as well as big reveals that left me utterly gobsmacked!

One of the things I love with this series is the complex characters. There are so many motivations at play and everyone’s reasons for their actions further their own goals - and sometimes you’re left wondering whose wishes are actually being fulfilled. It’s all just so complex and complicated, and in constantly left with even more questions. Plus I love the magic of the world, and how direct a band gods and demons have in the events playing out.

I am just left staring at the wall at the ending of this book! How long do I have to wait for the next volume? I love Kihrin, and I love the way things are developing between him, Teraeth, and Janel. The way past lives influence current incarnations is another element I love watching unfold, and the layers it adds to the story.

This series just continues to improve, and the way it ends leaves me scrambling to wrap my mind around the implications. I just, ugh, cannot wait for the next installment!

This is by far one of the best epic fantasy series I have read in years (and guess what, it might actually get finished unlike certain other series). Jenn Lyons gives us a complex storyline with detailed world-building. Her characters are well fleshed out and incredibly diverse in a way that is not at all forced or 'token' diversity. I love the relationships she has the characters develop and in Memory of Souls, there are even more interactions between characters that hadn't met in previous books which only adds to the pleasure of reading. I cannot wait for the last two books in this series. (And for audiobook fans, you won't be disappointed- the narrators so far have been amazing).

THIS REVIEW WILL BE PUBLISHED IN AUREALIS MAGAZINE.

The third instalment in A Chorus of Dragons, this epic fantasy continues to deliver masterful storytelling that will engage and delight readers, leaving them begging for the next book.

The journeys of trope-subverting characters Kihrin, Janel and Taraeth reach a climax in The Memory of Souls, with the earlier machinations of gods and wizards coming together in an explosive, albeit dizzying, fashion.
The cast of characters is enormous, yet Lyons guides the reader through the vast tapestry of reincarnated souls and distinct cultures with expert skill, never insulting the intelligence of her reader. The history of each race and family is complex and rich; there’s nothing two-dimensional here.

Epic battles between demons, gods and body-swapping immortals are punctuated by character moments that give the narrative genuine depth. Even Xivan, a sort-of zombie, melts the heart at times. Loyalties shift and we’re constantly wondering if there’s any such thing as ‘the right side’.

The Memory of Souls delivers dragons aplenty and word building so rich that readers feel convincingly transported, but our assumptions about high fantasy must end there. Lyons is not playing the traditional genre game with this series. The cliché of ‘the chosen one’ is turned inside out, and the romantic sub-plot takes shape as a nuanced gender-bending polyamorous engagement. Half the characters seem to be bisexual, and queer readers may be ecstatic.

In danger of asserting a controversial opinion before the final two books in this series are released, A Chorus of Dragons is shaping up to be better than A Game of Thrones!

I’ve had a mixed reaction to Jenn Lyons’ series since book one, The Ruin of Kings, so it seems only appropriate that I had two different reactions to book three, The Memory of Souls, with a lot of frustration and annoyance to the first half of the book and a greater appreciation and enjoyment in the second half. All of which leaves me still up in the air in terms of recommending what will turn out to be a relatively lengthy series. Inevitable spoilers for books one and two to follow.

I’m not going to go much into plot details as to call it labyrinthine or Byzantine would be an understatement (maybe a labyrinth built in Byzantine and run by the DMV). There’s an imprisoned Dark Lord of Destruction (or is there?), an evil, megalomaniacal (or is he?) wizard trying to free him, a stalwart group of chosen ones (or are they?) seeking to prevent his release and the destruction of the world (or would it be?), a group of gods (or are they) trying to help as well (or are they?). There are dragons, powerful ancient magical artifacts, immortal races, shapeshifters, prophecies, blights, transport portals, secret forests, assassination attempts and actual assassinations, political intrigue, family intrigue, romantic intrigue (let’s just say lots of intrigue), footnotes, huge battles and small spats. I’m not sure there’s a kitchen sink, but it’s possible it appeared via illusion, shape-shifting form, or with a different name because it was reincarnated or resurrected (or both).

Oh yeah, nearly everyone: the Dark Lord Vol Karoth, the evil wizard Relos Var, the Chosen Ones Khirin, Janel, and Tereath, the dragons, and, well, almost everybody else, all have multiple names because they’ve been around for hundreds or thousands of years and been brought back to live new lives unburdened by their old ones (save for the ones who are currently remembering their past lives). Which also means lots of them are related, were married, slept together, or some combination of all that.

Labyrinthine. And more.

As you can see, Lyons is incredibly ambitious. And I applaud that ambition. Really, I do. But my dual problems (the main ones) throughout the series, which continue here, are that the execution doesn’t always match the ambition, and the “everything plus the kitchen sink” approach sometimes gets in the way of plot and character having an impact rather than enhancing their effects.

For example, I quite like what Lyons is doing with employing so many of the same old same old tropes of the genre: the imprisoned evil, the “blight”, the group guarding the blight, the chosen ones, etc. but calling them all into question so our expectations work against us. I like it, but in a more streamlined story I’m pretty sure I would love it. But here it’s just buried under so much other stuff. The same holds true with the characters — we’re given so many, and we get to hear from them or see them so briefly before being whisked away to another character and another scene, and they’re so swamped under so many complications—their current romantic problems, their past romantic problems, the way their past romantic problems affect their current romantic problems, and more, that the characters I could care about become just a series of names. Lots of names. And on top of that lots of names for the same person. To be bluntly honest, I didn’t care at all about any of the romance, which felt both forced and unnecessary and thus just bogged the story down whenever the text focused on it , and I stopped caring pretty early on about trying to keep in my head who was whom in a past life and how they were related (literally or not) to others in their past lives. It was enough to know so and so was angry or jealous or in love with so and so, and I didn’t care to figure out why. Once again, all that back knowledge, as executed, felt unnecessary (even though I know it kinda was — which gets to the execution again).

Similarly, I found my reading not enhanced but worsened by the footnotes, such that I was literally cursing each time I had to click on one (on the Kindle), until I just stopped doing so and read them at the end of chapters, and then started only reading some of them. Because so few offered anything of real worth to me as a reader: they didn’t affect my view of the footnote as a character and they really affected my reading of a scene. I mentioned in my review of the first book that all this complexity and POV switching and differing timelines and footnotes felt like a way to compensate for a plot employing so many of the hoary genre tropes. But if any book didn’t need that, it was this one, because this is where Lyons really starts to deconstruct all those tropes in truly interesting fashion.

All of which sounds pretty negative, and again, to be honest, I almost quit reading several times in the first half of the novel, for the reasons above and a few other issues (some plot contrivances, etc.). But there had been enough good in the prior two books, and I did as noted appreciate Lyon’s intent and ambition, so persevered, albeit with some adaptation (such as not clicking on each footnote, no more trying to figure out past lives). And the latter third or so of the novel felt livelier, more compelling, more focused. Whether that was due to my changed reading style or a change in writing I can’t say, probably a bit of both I’d guess. But the humor started to pop more naturally, there were a few effectively emotional scenes (though some had more potential than full impact), the revelations the deep past were often fascinating, and the reversals of expectations were stimulating.

I was glad, by the end, that I’d kept going, but wish it hadn’t been such a struggle to get to that point. Which is sort of how I feel about the series as a whole. After three books, I feel there’s a great duology in here, which makes me a bit nervous about two more books left. But maybe they’ll pick up where the latter part of Memory of Souls did. As I said at the end of the prior book’s review though, for now, I’m withholding a recommendation on the series to see where it goes.

I loved this book. At first, I thought it was the final book in the series and when I finished the last page I about threw it across the room. Fortunately, I get two more books with my kids. This series is just incredible with its intricacies and character developments. The plot feels a lot like Wheel of Time but with WAY BETTER TWISTS. I love me some WoT, but this takes those concepts of evil "leaking" into the world to a higher level.

Plus, Janel, Kihrin, and Teraeth take a pretty healthy look at their relationship (between all of them). I get some of the best angst ever but also kissy time and it's amazing. I also really love the exploration of villianism. Are the gods actually gods? What happened 3,000 years ago to put away this "villain" and why? Who's the bad guy here? What's the right thing to do? It's something we don't see a lot in books, all sides of this discourse make sense and can be seen as "the right way" in each of their eyes. It's fab.

Anyway, I need more because that last bit BROKE MY DAMN HEART and I can't take it.

Final rating: 3.5/5 Stars

The magical cage that holds the evil god Vol Karoth is weakening. Tricked by Relos Var, Khirin accidentally destroyed one of the eight gems holding the prison together. Only one thing can repair the damage: the Ritual of Night. But the Ritual can only be powered by an immortal race sacrificing their immortality, and the Manol vané aren’t inclined to give up being the last immortal race on the continent. Complicating matters even further, Kihrin and Janel are beginning to remember their past lives – and the memories they recover reveal dark secrets from thousands of years ago.

I have a complicated relationship with the A CHORUS OF DRAGONS series. I always enjoy them moment to moment, but when I step back, I’m never quite sure who to recommend these books to. For instance, I’ve appreciated on occasion the liberties its taken with timelines, but this device has been very divisive in the past, particularly in the first book. In THE MEMORY OF SOULS, however, I found the beginning of the book very disjointed as it jumped across several viewpoints and points in the timeline, which I was trying to keep track of while also matching up my fuzzy memory of previous events to what was happening now. It eventually becomes much more linear of a story, but it wasn’t a great first impression. However, that could almost be forgiven by the fact that, after three books, I FINALLY understand what the heck is going on in the grand scheme of things.

A CHORUS OF DRAGONS has an incredibly complicated mythology and world-building, made more complicated by magic that allows reincarnation and soul-swapping between bodies. I’ve long since given up trying to track who is related to who, in part because at the end of the day, it feels like everyone is related to everyone. In a very Greek mythology feel, whenever you have a group of characters together, every character is either related to, has slept with, or murdered (and none of these necessarily exclusively) every other character in the room. After a great deal of repetition of facts across three books, I’m getting a handle on the dynamics, in part because connections that were obscured are coming to light.

That is, after all, the crux of the book. While the past two titles have referred to particular magical artifacts, THE MEMORY OF SOULS refers to the fact that Kihrin, Janel, and Thurvishar are finally remembering their past lives, and in doing so, are remembering events that set this whole business into motion to begin with. Every book in the series has taken a slightly larger view of the world, and now we’re delving into the origins of the gods themselves, as well as the great evil Vol Karoth. Pieces that I didn’t know where to put are finally clicking into place, now that I have a fuller view of the board, and I almost want to go back and reread the first book now that I understand the connections.

As mentioned before, I really enjoy the moment to moment beats of THE MEMORY OF SOULS. That includes a truly spectacular end set-piece, and watching court politics revolving around some very complicated laws of inheritance, given that people dying and coming back to life isn’t unheard of. But in this book in particular, I felt like plot was given precedence over character. With more viewpoints than in either of the two books, I felt like I should have gotten to know people better, but I was a little cold on newer characters, particularly Talea. While I appreciated some of the romances, others just left me baffled, despite the author taking some time to establish them.

THE MEMORY OF SOULS is an instance where a book isn’t bad, it’s just not as great as it could have been. There are so many balls in the air, so many plots upon plots, and just SO many characters, I didn’t really latch onto one person in particular. I have a soft spot for Thurvishar, though he isn’t a POV character, and Janel, who I adored in the last book, only gets a handful of POV moments. Kihrin is instead one of the main POVs, and while he’s fine, I miss Janel. If you enjoyed the first two books, you’ll find a lot to appreciate here, particularly among some of the more twisty history moments. Despite the ups and downs, I keep being drawn back to these books. I’m on this train until the end, despite it being an occasionally bumpy ride.